


Fate/Arc V

by OddEyes588



Category: Fate/stay night (Visual Novel), Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (Anime 2014), Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Arc-V Characters, Dark Fantasy, F/M, No H-Scenes, Only a few characters are the same as in FSN, Romance, fans of both ygo and fate rise up, god I think I'm the only one whose done this..., no regrets caution to the wind woooo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:54:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25926223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OddEyes588/pseuds/OddEyes588
Summary: Yugioh Arc-V X Fate/Stay Night Alternate UniverseA retelling of the story of Fate/Stay Night through the Unlimited Blade Works route, however with different characters. Put simply, the majority of the characters from Fate/Stay Night are swapped with different characters from the cast of Yugioh Arc V for this Unlimited Blade Works route.Shirou Emiya is swapped with Yuya, while Rin Tohsaka is swapped with Yuzu. This is mostly going to appeal to fans of Arc-V, so be aware that the only characters from Fate who remain are the ones without a suitable replacement.
Relationships: Hiiragi Yuzu/Sakaki Yuya
Comments: 6
Kudos: 3





	Fate/Arc V

**Chapter 0: Prologue**

_It was a thrust like lightning._

_A spearhead thrust to pierce my heart._

_Trying to dodge it would be useless._

_Being lightning, it's invisible to the human eye._

_But…_

_The lightning that tries to pierce me… is repelled by the moonlight that tries to save me._

_Clang, a beautiful sound. No, the sound before me is heavier than steel. The armor she is wearing is not beautiful at all and as unrefined as the cold night. The sound wasn't beautiful at all. It was actually the sound of steel._

_It's just that the knight is beautiful enough to turn it into a charming sound like a bell._

" _I ask of you. Are you my Master?" She asks in a voice that lights up the darkness._

" _I have come forth in response to your summons. From this time forward, my sword shall be with you and your fate shall be with me. Now, our contract is complete."_

_Yes, the contract had been completed._

_When she chose me as her Master… I'm sure I swore to help her too._

_The moonlight still lights up the darkness. As if following the knight's example, the shed again falls silent._

_Time has stopped. The scene lasts less than a second. But…_

_I'll remember this scene vividly even when I've gone to hell._

_The face slightly turned._

_The quiet green eyes._

_The instant becomes an eternity._

_The blue outfit symbolizing her sways in the wind._

_A faint blue light filters in, and the indigo-blue hair shines in the moonlight._

* * *

This is a story from ten years ago.

…I'm watching someone I know very well. A tall man with a deep-featured face, who to my knowledge has never told a joke, is patting my head.

No, that's not quite right. I guess he's not sure how much strength to use. So to be more accurate, he's grabbing my head and mashing it around. I guess that's only to be expected. After all, that's the first time he's ever patted my head.

"I'll have to get going now. You know what to do now, right?"

I answer the voice with a polite "yes". The man mashing my head nods, lets go, and stands up.

…So, that was it. If I'd known then that it was our final moment together, I would have made him laugh with my best jokes. I had practiced it a lot, in a hope I could make a smile appear on his face. I guess you could say I was sad I couldn't tell him any of them.

"Put the Association in your debt by the time you mature. I'll let you decide what to do after that. You should be able to take care of yourself."

Even though he said such things, I guess he was still worried. He told me about the heirloom jewels, the jewels inherited from the master, and how to manage the basement.

As he was telling me all the things I didn't yet know, I realized even as a child… that most likely… he wouldn't be coming back.

A war had started. Not a war between countries, but a war between people. Though, the only ones at war were seven people. The word "war" should be unsuitable, but it's a different story here, as the ones in the conflict are magi.

Seven magi, each from a different faction, had started to compete for unknown reasons and killed each other in unknown ways. The man standing before me was one of them. He too was in a position of kill or be killed.

He must have known more keenly than I did that his time was near.

"Yuzu, the Holy Grail will appear eventually. It is our duty as the Hiiragi family to win it. More importantly, if you want to be a mage, you can't avoid it."

Once more, he patted my head, and left.

That was the end.

That was the last time I saw the man, who entered the Holy Grail War as a master and died. The man who was my teacher as well as my father.

"Take care, Father!"

I see him off as best I can. I was on the verge of crying but I shed no tears. I loved him, he was a great father and a great mage. Among mages, there are only obstinate people, but in the whole world, I don't think anyone had a better character than his.

He taught me as a teacher and loved me as a father. That's why I decided to choose my path according to what he left me in the end.

In the end, he left me those words as a mage and not as a father. That is why at that moment, my path was determined.

"Alright. I'll do my best to be a proper mage."

It's only natural for a student to follow the words of their teacher. Since then, through many twists and turns… I, Hiiragi Yuzu, have matured.

It has been ten years since the day on which my father went to war. I haven't really been waiting for this moment, but I certainly am excited. It's only natural. The event I have never once forgotten about is about to start…

* * *

**1/31**

* * *

"Hm…"

Something is ringing…

_Brrring! Brrring!_

"…Shut up. Stop it…"

The sound (unfortunately) doesn't stop. It rings loudly as if I'm an enemy.

"What…? Come on, I was up late last night, so…"

It _should_ let me sleep in a bit longer. Actually, no! It has to let me sleep in. I was stuck deciphering my father's will until early this morning, and I've used up way too much mana. Basically, both my mind and body are dead tired.

_Brrring! Brrring!_

"Geez… you're really stubborn."

_Brrring! Brrring! Brrring! Brrring!_

This damn clock must not speak my language, but it still feels like it's telling me "You're going to be late" for some reason…

"Late… it's not good to be late…"

Though that depends entirely on the situation. I'm a good student. Excellent, actually, so maybe I can get to school at the last minute today…

"That's right… I set the alarm thirty minutes early, so I should be able to get another thirty minutes in…"

...Huh?

Isn't that strange?

"I set it thirty minutes early…?"

I look drowsily at my alarm clock. It's pointing exactly at seven, and I usually get up at six-thirty, so my spare thirty minutes are already long-gone.

"Hm…"

I stare at the alarm clock for several seconds before finally shutting it off and getting out of bed.

Passing through the cold hallway, I enter the cold living room. It's seven o'clock on the last day of January. Fuyuki is usually pretty warm even in the winter, but this morning, it's as cold as any other city.

Heck, I can even see my own breath _indoors_ , and there's no one else in the house to warm it up.

"Heater, heater…"

I turn on the heater and head to the bathroom. At times like this, living on your own can be… inconvenient. If there were someone to wake up before me, the living room would be warm by now.

I wash my face at the sink, brush my hair, and get ready. A cold morning means a cold sink, and the only advantage to cold water is that it clears up your sleepiness completely.

I tie up my hair and I'm all ready. All I need now is breakfast, and then I can head out. I look at the clock, revealing that it's only a bit past seven, and I can't help but feel disappointed.

"Man, I guess I don't have to run after all!"

Not that I would ever do anything as clumsy as running to school. It's a custom of my family to act with composure and elegance at all times, after all.

Taking a custom like that seriously must mean that my family originated from a very high-class background indeed. Owning this old western-styled mansion is proof of that and on top of it, the Hiiragi family is a bloodline of sorcerers able to use "Magic".

If you're talking about age, our family actually has quite the ancient history.

"Well… it's not something I can brag about,"

I actually can't speak openly about it at all.

Oh, if it wasn't obvious already, I, Hiiragi Yuzu, am a mage.

Who on earth could I brag to like that?

Magic is exactly what it sounds like: Magic. I don't care if you get ideas like abracadabra or expelliarmus or whatever. You can just think of us as people who do strange things by casting spells.

Though it's not like we fly around on brooms or make stars appear with a wave of a wand.

…Well, we could, but we don't bother. It's pretty meaningless, no?

You can consider us heretics who hide ourselves from the world. We're not allowed to stand out, and even if we weren't, we would rather be at home studying magic. Besides, the word "sorcerer" is inaccurate.

There are only five sorcerers in the world. Things no one can do, things beyond the ability of modern science… The ones who can make such "miracles" are the ones we call sorcerers.

Miracles that can never be achieved, regardless of time or effort… we call that sorcery.

Things that are mysterious but achievable with time and effort… we call that magic.

That's why what I do is called magic, not sorcery. It's complicated, but it's how it is, so just accept it and don't think too hard on it.

The modern world doesn't recognize the existence of magi. As we believe, control, and learn things that are immeasurable, our existence is incompatible with the modern world.

Because it's kind of meaningless. Going to normal school and becoming a normal adult will bring you far more happiness than studying magic.

Human technology is great. In the past few hundred years, it has been leading the way ahead of magic. Nothing is impossible for humans. The miracles once possible through magic are now "tools" and not miraculous at all.

Still, magic has it's good points. Just as there are things possible only through science, there are also things possible only through magic.

If science is moving toward the future, magic is moving toward the past.

Something about the past and the future ending up at the same place, everything always running toward the zero point.

But let's put off discussions like this. They should wait until we're old.

Finishing breakfast, I grab my bag.

"Oh yeah, I should bring the pendant."

I probably shouldn't take it to school… but it would be a waste to leave it here.

"This thing is a hundred years old after all. It's by far the greatest jewel in the house."

The understatement of the century. It's way stronger than that.

I found it after decoding my father's will last night. It contains the equivalent of ten years worth of my magical energy. There was apparently an heirloom, and this might as well be it.

My family is skilled at the transformation of power. We put our magical energy into jewels whenever we have free time. Putting it simply, the jewels are bullets while we're the gun.

The only other thing I can say I've received from my father is the Hiiragi Magic Crest, engraved on my left arm. In essence, this is the proof of the successor, and it's like a tattoo that condenses all the inherited magic of the Hiiragi family.

"It hasn't started yet, but better safe than sorry…"

I put the pendant, which could be considered my father's memento, in my pocket.

"This is my last resort. I could do pretty much anything with the level of mana contained in this."

Seven-thirty.

I should get going or I'll be late for school.

* * *

It's strange that I haven't seen one student so far.

At seven-thirty, you should usually see people in uniform here and there, but I'm the only one here at the gates, and the clubs look like they've just started morning practice.

Therefore…

"Oh, Hiiragi? You're up early today." A brown-skinned girl refers to me.

"…As I suspected."

With a small sigh, I turn to the girl who addressed me.

This girl, speaking so frankly, is Masumi Kotsu. She's my classmate in class 2-A, and there are plenty of stories about her.

"Good morning, Kotsu-san. By the way, do you know what time it is?"

"Huh? It's almost seven. Are you still asleep?" She says as she waves her hand in front of me, wondering if I'm alright.

She's one of the few friends who knows I'm not a morning person, so in other words, she thinks I'm not fully awake yet.

"I guess all the clocks in my house were an hour fast… all of them. Not just my alarm clock, but the wall clocks as well."

Really, just what's going on here? Did Father arrange for all the clocks to go mad when the pendant was removed from the basement?

"Hiiragi?"

"Don't worry, it's nothing." I wave her off. "Anyways, are you off to morning practice as usual?"

She lets out a sigh. "Yeah. The archery club has lots of problem students and one good member quit. So I have to get them to look good in order to attract some new freshmen in April."

"I see." I muse. "There's always something to worry about, isn't there?"

"You can say that since it's none of your concern." She sighs. "Oh, do you wanna come? The guys will love it if you come and watch."

I think for a moment. "Archery club, huh?"

I've got three acquaintances in the archery club. One is Masumi, the person with me right now, and the other two I barely talk to.

Besides, the word "acquaintance" doesn't really suffice for one of those two. I became friends with Masumi because I had been watching the club from afar.

"Alright, I'll go if all I have to do is watch. I have nothing else to do this early anyways."

Masumi grins. "Great, let's go right now then."

A walk later, and we arrive.

The impressive archery range is one of our school's more outstanding aspects. Maybe the director is just interested in the sport, but the range is way too fancy for a mere school club.

"Come on, there's still some time before practice, so let's go in and have some tea." Masumi says with a smile.

Happy about something, she drags me in by the hand. It's a bad habit of hers. She talks like a guy when she's expressing her true feelings.

As she said, there's no one in here. While sipping hot tea, we prepare for today's class, and the tea tastes really good in the open winter environment.

"Well, I'll come straight to the point. How's it going, Hiiragi? Have you found a reliable partner yet?" She says bluntly.

So, as if there's no one else around, she comes straight out and asks me a ridiculous question.

"Huh, that's a really direct way of asking. Judging from your tone of voice, you've already found yours?"

Masumi turns to me with her usual poker face. "No comment. I'm going to keep it a secret until you tell me. So what's going on? Looking at your tired face, I feel like I'm right."

"Another no comment… but you'd probably see through my lies. Unfortunately, not yet on my part. How about you? I assume you don't have time to take it easy either."

She lets out another sigh. "True, but things aren't looking good for me. I could get one right away, but it's not that kind of matter, you know? Our future depends on this, so I can't just compromise."

I raise one eyebrow. "I see. So you don't want to choose hastily and lose to me?"

Her face returns to its usual grin. "Of course not. The important part is making you lose. What I get comes second."

She laughs boldly.

"Geez, we really are alike."

She smiles. "Yeah. When we first met, I warned you we'd have this kind of relationship."

Yes, she did indeed.

I was certainly shocked when at our first meeting, she said "We'll probably end up with a 'kill or be killed' relationship".

Or, in other words, "Unless we go all out against each other, we'll never really be friends.".

I agreed with her, though still surprised, and that's why we've had a friend-or-foe relationship for two years.

"…Oh, it's almost seven." She points out casually. "Let's leave the secret talk there. You never know when someone might walk in on us, and we should act like proper students."

"Well, I never knew you had social manners like that. It was worth getting up early just to hear that." I shoot back with a smile.

"Heh, not so much as you. My social manners are nothing compared to yours. You hide yourself so much it's almost like you're a complete stranger." She states matter-of-factly.

* * *

"So, why don't you join a club, Hiiragi? I won't listen to any lies about you not having any athletic ability. I'm still bitter that I lost to you in all aspects in last year's physical testing." Masumi states with a small frown.

"Oh? But you beat me in lung capacity, and also in weight." I shoot back without a second thought.

"Ahahaha! All right, I'm three kilograms heavier than you!" She says with an odd level of happiness, until smacking her fist on the table. "Hey, being heavier isn't something to be happy about, you fox!"

I can't help but feel comfortable and smile. "Be careful, you might spill the tea, Kotsu-san. You're the captain, so you should treat this place with care."

"Shut up. I'm your rival first and captain of this place second." She states stubbornly. "Naturally, if there are no members around, I'll go after you."

She looks at me with narrowed eyes.

I look at the time and decide to take my leave.

"What, you're not going to stay and watch?" Masumi asks.

"I wouldnt understand. Watching from the distance is fine, but outsiders shouldn't be in the range, should they?"

However, just as I rise, someone enters the range.

"Good morning, captain."

I see Masumi rise and face the new presence. "Ah, morning, Kurosaki. You're alone this morning?"

"…Yes. I'm sorry I couldn't be of help." the club member who had just entered says.

Masumi sighs. "Nah, it's okay. If he doesn't wanna come, there's no point forcing him to."

Yeah, it was time to leave.

"Well, I'll be going. See you later, Kotsu-san."

She sees me and smiles. "Yeah, see you later, Hiiragi."

The club member who had just entered, a young girl with long black and purple hair, turns to face me as well.

"… Thank you for coming, Hiiragi-senpai."

"Thanks. You take care too, Ruri."

...I leave the range trying not to interrupt them.

"Ah, Hiiragi, good morning. I'm lucky to see you so early."

Just my awful luck. I've run into someone I don't want to see.

"Good morning, Kurosaki-kun." I say with as much politeness I can muster. "You're early today."

"Of course! As the captain, I have to come early as an example to others."

The guy with the huge smile is Shinji Kurosaki, or class 2-C. He's the vice-captain of the archery club and the owner of over half the hearts of the girls in the school. Kind of an idol, good-looking, good grades, sociable, and kind to girls.

Though, I've only heard this from my other classmates.

"Really? I'm sorry to interrupt your good mood, but you're missing a word, Kurosaki-kun." I sigh. "It's rather important, so I don't think you should forget it."

He makes a puzzled expression. "Hm? What do you mean?"

"You're missing the 'vice-' part, vice-captain." I inform him. "You should watch out. It makes no difference whether you're the captain or the vice-captain, but if you put a lot of weight on it, people might think you're concerned about it, right?"

He makes a complicated expression for about an instant before a smile returns to his face. "…You're right. I'll be careful from now on. Thank you, Hiiragi."

I don't think I've done anything to earn a thanks, but it doesn't matter if he thinks otherwise. Bidding him goodbye, I leave the range.

"Hold on. You came to watch, right?" He asks as I'm leaving, "Then you should stay and watch. You're very welcome here."

"I'd rather not. I don't want to interrupt the practice."

He smiles… smugly? I think it's a smug expression for a moment, but it must have been my imagination. "Don't worry about that. If anyone's bothering you, I'll just kick them out, so come in for a while."

I mentally let out an exasperated sigh. "…I'm saying I don't want to be a bother. Besides, it's not like I'm interested in archery. I don't like watching people I don't know practicing."

"What? You didn't have any interest in archery? Oh, so that;s why you were watching us after school." He says with a grin.

…

I don't know what he thinks the reason was, but he's _definitely_ making a huge misunderstanding here. "Oh, so you knew, Kurosaki-kun?"

"Yeah, our eyes met many times, yours and mine. After I shot, you would always be looking at me, right?" He asks in an almost know-it-all tone. "I wanted to call out to you, but it's the rules, you know? We can't raise our voice on the range."

As if happy about something, Shinji moves closer to me. His smile carries a sense of superiority with it.

"I guess I misunderstood. I thought you liked archery, but you actually have no interest in it, right? So why were you watching the range?"

Oh, I see now. Yes, the conversation could certainly have been taken that way.

"Could you move away, Kurosaki-kun? I really don't like people coming so close to me."

He's still smiling, but he seems confused. "Uh, Hiiragi, what?"

When I sigh this time, it's far more audible than the last one. "Honestly, it seems you still don't understand… it's not my style, but I'll put it in terms even you can understand. I'm saying that I have even less interest in you than in archery. Frankly, I never even knew you were in the range, and I'm not about to start looking out for you now either."

My words seem to surprise him. "W-What…!"

As if I've angered him, he reaches out for me violently.

I easily avoid it and turn my back on him. "Goodbye, Kurosaki-kun. It's good to have some ego, but you shouldn't let it grow too large."

"Hiiragi, you…!"

He looks like he wants to say more, but it doesn't seem like he's going to scream or come after me.

…Geez, he really is all show. If he was a little bit more mature, he wouldn't be so much trouble for the people around him.

From the back of the school where the archery range is based, I enter the school building. Though it's past seven, I can't see anyone in the hallway.

"Oh, Hiiragi-san!"

I turn to see the white-haired woman behind me. "…Good morning, Tyler-sensei."

The bubbly woman smiles. "Yes, good morning, Hiiragi-san! I'm so happy you greeted me properly!"

The strange woman almost seems like she's crying of happiness. Though it's hard to believe, this person of surpassing friendliness and cheerfulness is a teacher at this school. Behold, Grace Tyler.

"Uh, Sensei… is there a way to greet you improperly?"

She almost pouts. "Of course there is. First years always greet me properly, but the older ones never greet me by my last name. You shouldn't copy their rudeness, okay?"

I raise my eyebrow. "Huh… I don't really understand, but I won't be rude to you, Sensei."

She smiles with satisfaction. "Good girl. Oh, I wish everyone was as good as you…"

She waves goodbye and leaves. Fortunately, she _isn't_ my homeroom teacher. Tyler-sensei teaches english, and though she has a kind face, she's also got a black belt in kendo, and I hear she was respected as the "White Tiger of Fuyuki" in her student days.

Though, that's a bit strange. Wouldn't a tiger normally be feared, not respected? Apparently in a good mood, she heads for the archery range. It boggles me, but for some reason, she's in charge of the archery club instead of the kendo club.

By this point it's almost seven-thirty, and I can see a few students doing club activities outside, but there's no sign of anyone in the building.

But still…

"Geh, Hiiragi…"

I bump into someone who greets me rather rudely.

"Oh, Student President! Are you patrolling the school building this early in the morning? Or perhaps taking care of the club rooms? Not that I care, but you're certainly diligent."

He shoots me a glare. "Huh! What are you planning? What are you doing here when you're not in any clubs?"

I grin. "I just felt like it. I don't get up early like your family does, Yuto-kun."

He makes an unhappy face as he stares at me, one hand in his pocket. I've no idea why, but for some reason, he sees me as an enemy.

…What? I really don't know why!

…Perhaps it's because I said "skip the temples, they're boring" in a meeting to plan for the field trip?

"…Let me ask you a question, Hiiragi. Have you been staying at school until late at night recently?" He shoots a look at me.

"Nope. You should know I always go straight home, Yuto-kun."

His eyes narrow ever so slightly. "Of course. This is my job, so naturally I know about everyone."

"I see. So you don't even need to ask, right? I don't know why you're asking, but isn't it a bit… bad to force student council jobs onto outsiders? Maybe you should try collecting information yourself, rather than rely on outsiders like me."

"Idiot, how are you an outsider!?" He exclaims. "Don't think I don't know how you worked your evil deeds on our Treasurer, you fox!"

My eyes widen. "Oh, you misunderstand. I was merely working out how much each club should receive because Kotsu-san asked me to. Isn't it only right for students to take an interest in where their money is going?"

"…H-How can damaging our Treasurer's psyche enough to keep him off school for a week be 'only right' for any student?" He says, almost in shock. "As always, I'm amazed by your way of thinking."

"Same to you. You should keep a watch on those under you!" I say cheerfully. "It's not fair to favor the non-sporting clubs."

"I know that." He says firmly. "That's why I had intended to deal with the matter myself…"

The door suddenly slides open, and a boy with red and green hair walks out.

"Yuto, the repairs are done."

A guy I didn't expect to find here, appears.

"Ah, sorry Sakaki." Yuto apologizes, "I'm the one who asked for help, but it seems like you're doing all the work. Forgive me."

The boy waves it off. "Don't worry about it. So where next? There's not much time left."

"Yeah, the AV room is next. It seems it's been working badly for a while, but it finally died." Yuto sighs.

"If it's dead, it can't be fixed. It'd be quicker to just buy a new one." He says.

"True, but it'd help if you could take a look at it. It might be dead to my eyes, but only faking it to yours." Yuto explained.

"I see. Well, let's take a look."

The Student President leaves with the male student.

"…"

My thoughts have stopped at this sudden event. The guy with wrenches, spanners, and a head of red and green hair turns back as if remembering something.

"You're up early, Hiiragi."

And with that, he leaves.

…Was that supposed to be a "hello"? The student whom the president called "Sakaki" leaves quickly.

Sakaki… that would be Yuya Sakaki, from class 2-C.

"That's fine, but…"

How can I put it? I think it's hard to tell whether a guy who looks at home holding a wrench is useful or scary.

* * *

School ends, and I return to my house, greeted by the blinking light on my answering machine.

"It's unusual for me to get any messages. It was… just as I thought, it's you, Leo."

Though I already know what he's going to say, he'll be scary later if I don't listen. I press the play button and hear a familiar voice.

"It's me. I'm sure you know, but tomorrow is the deadline, Yuzu. It's a problem for me if you take it easy. There are only two remaining seats. I must ensure that all Masters are arranged quickly."

The priest shows no mercy and gets right to the point.

"If you wish to abandon your right to become a Master, contact me today. It takes some time to dispatch a substitute mage."

Liar. You could arrange a substitute in no time.

"Summon your Servant and establish your Command Spells immediately. Unless you're not planning to be a part of this Holy Grail War. If you value your life, you should run to the church quickly."

With that, the message ends. His words are concise, and he's telling me that if I am to fight, I must be ready today, and if not, to retire quickly.

Heh, you don't have to tell me that. Well, it can't be helped. Today is as late as the deadline can be extended, and fortunately, I managed to decode Father's will last night. The preparations are ready, so now… all I need is to obtain the qualification to enter this fight.

That is, to summon a familiar called a Servant, and to form a contract with it.

A mage planning to enter the Holy Grail War usually prepares a catalyst to summon one, but…

I don't have anything with any "connection".

I can summon a Servant. If I wanted to, I could summon one right now and form a contract with it.

But that said… I guess you can't go out to sea without a compass.

Unfortunately, there was nothing like a symbol for this. Though I found this pendant, and it's an incredible artifact of its own right, if you want to summon a strong Servant, you need something with a strong connection to that Servant.

Something like a sword, armor, talisman, bone, or something like that… something valuable beyond belief.

The pendant is great, but it won't help me to summon my servant.

Ignoring that, however, I make my way to the basement. I'll face the summoning tonight and summon Saber by force if I have to…!

* * *

Late at night, the clock is about to strike two. This is the best timeframe for my mana.

The peak of my mana is at exactly two in the morning. Since this will be my first and last chance, I can't afford any mistakes.

"…Withdrawal within elimination, engrave four areas and surround with the summoning circle… right."

I engrave the circle onto the floor of the basement. You don't need a large-scale summoning to summon a Servant. Servants are called forth by the Holy Grail. The Master's priority is to keep the Servant in this world and to supply them with enough mana to materialize, while the Holy Grail handles the summoning.

"Preparations ready… I'll get Saber even without a catalyst, just you watch…!"

The circle begins to glow.

"Bare and silver and iron. Stone for foundation and the Archduke of pacts. My great master Schweinorg for the ancestor. Close the gates of the four directions. Come forth from the Crown and follow the forked road leading to the Kingdom."

I continue with the greatest concentration. I draw the magic circle, normally written in blood, with my melted jewels.

I'm using half the jewels I've saved up, so I can't fail for financial reasons too.

"Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Repeat five times. But when each is filled, destroy it."

The circle changes color.

…It's almost two in the morning. Completing the magic circle passed down through the Hiiragi family, I face it with all my power.

"Anfang."

I flip the formless switch inside me. From this point, Yuzu Hiiragi is not human. I shall become a tool to attain mystic power.

"Heed my words…"

Let's start. Only a few more seconds until two in the morning.

I take the mana I've absorbed and turn it into "fixed" magical energy. And now… I only have to empty out the mana within me to move the engine called the summoning circle…

"Heed my words. My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny."

My vision closes. The fifth element, said to be unperceivable by human eyes, is before me.

So, in fear of being broken by it, vision shuts itself down.

"If you heed the Grail's call and obey my will and reason, then answer me! I hereby swear… that I shall be all the good in the world. Thou Seventh Heaven, clad in the three great words of power, come forth from the circle of binding, Guardian of the Scales!

A blinding light erupts.

Perfect…!

It's so perfect, I feel like I'm tugging on a whale with a fishing rod! Geez, I can't wait for my vision to return. My vision should recover in a matter of seconds, and there will be the summoned Servant right in front of me…

Except… no.

Nothing.

"Huh…?"

Nothing is nothing. There is no change. I've raged out so much mana and nothing has formed. On top of that…

_BOOM!_

I hear an explosion from the living room.

"WHY!?" I scream out.

I dash for the stairs and immediately run out of the basement. I'm not even thinking, I run out of the disappointingly-empty basement, up the basement stairs, and into the door that refused to budge.

"The door's broken!?"

The living room door is crooked, so there's no point in turning the handle.

"Geez, get out of the way…!"

With a crash, I kick through the door and stumble into the living room.

The instant I walk into the living room, I understand everything.

A few splinters of debris and wood fall from the roof.

The living room is in a massive mess. It's full of rubble that must have fallen from the ceiling, and there's one man sitting on the wreckage cockily.

"…"

Without a doubt, that is the cause of this mess.

But there's one thing more important than that. The wall clock is still ticking away time, somehow having escaped destruction. This reminds me…

All the clocks in my house were an hour early today for some reason.

In other words, it's not two in the morning, it's ONE in the morning. My magical energy still has another hour before it reaches its peak.

"I did it again…"

It seems to be a hereditary curse. I can do most things like everyone else, but…

I make the biggest mistakes at the most important times.

"Well, what's done is done. I should reflect on my actions."

I'm mad at my own stupidity, and still irritated, I glare at the man sitting on top of destroyed things like he's some sort of hotshot.

He's wearing mostly black and green, with the occasional black lines running through his outfit. He's wearing black body armor made of a material I can't recognize, He's wearing black pants with two black straps on his thighs, and another two strapped around his shins separate from each other. He's got black metal plated shoes, which appear to be attached to his trousers. What stands out the most, though is the green coat, or perhaps a shroud. It's actually two separate green sleeves connected by a metal plate at the back which covered his arms and was cut off showing his upper torso and midriff, and had a separate red open skirt which ended above his shins with the top fashioned and tied with an agemaki knot, covered by a silver metal plate.

His skin is white, and his eyes are a piercing yellow that even seem to glow a bit. His hair is spiky, sticking up a bit, and is white with green lines running through it.

"So… what are you?"

"Those are your first words? I guess I've been called to a terrible Master." The man green and black says with an exaggerated shrug.

"Maybe I'm the most unlucky of all," he adds.

…I do declare. This guy has a _twisted_ personality.

But this would be the Servant? They called it a familiar so I thought it would be something shapeless, but if anything, he looks no different from a normal human.

…No, that's wrong. Just standing here, a good distance away, and I can tell this thing has outrageous amounts of magical energy. Don't be fooled, this is an existence far beyond human, a "ghost" that has reached the level of spirits as a human.

"…"

I can't be overwhelmed forever. That thing is mine, so I'll have to change my thinking from now on.

"Just to make sure, you _are_ my Servant, right?" I ask, crossing my arms.

"That's what I'd like to ask. Are you my Master? I've never been summoned so roughly, so to be honest, I'm still trying to grasp the situation."

His tone and gestures reek of sarcasm.

"This is the first for me as well, so I'll be ignoring that." I fire back.

"I see. But when I was summoned you were not present, so would you mind explaining?"

I raise my eyebrow. "Really? I didn't know Servants imprinted on their Masters like baby chicks… yeah, right. Don't joke around." I say firmly.

This unknown Servant frowns. A rather vague response, so I can't tell if he's angry at my complaint or impressed.

"Well, regardless, what I'm asking is whether you're my servant and nobody else's, right? I don't have to answer any other questions until we clarify this." I sigh.

"You say that after failing your summoning this miserably…? In this case, I think there are a few better things to say."

"Master-Servant relationships should be clearly laid out, right off the bat." I say, ignoring the last remark.

"Hm…"

He raises his brow. Perhaps it's because of the imperfect summoning, but he's not even trying to hide his dissatisfaction.

"Hm, so we're to define who's master, huh? Though your actions are filled with mistakes, your mouth is at least better." He sighs. "Yes, I certainly agree with you in that area. Unless we make it clear who is stronger and who is weaker, it'll be hard to handle each other."

Even while laying on rubble, the Servant looks at me meaningfully.

"Who's weaker…?"

He nods. "Yes. I am a Servant, so I will accept this Master-Servant relationship. However, that's only according to the contract, right? Who's superior and if the other is worthy to fight alongside, is a different story. Are you a mage worthy to be my Master, young lady?"

He says this with his ever-present grin, and I can feel a bit of annoyance settle in.

He smashes my house and has an attitude like he's the king… that alone pisses me off, but to ask if I'm worthy to be a Master…!?

"I'm not asking for your opinion." I say firmly. "All I'm asking is if you are my Servant or not!"

I'm glaring at him now. I refuse to lose to someone who looks down on me this frankly.

"Hm, I see… so you're saying such an obvious question isn't even worth answering? Courageous, aren't we? You have the spirit of a splendid Master, but…"

I cut him off immediately. "I said… don't get the order wrong! It's the duty of the summoner to confirm first, now answer me! You _are_ my Servant, right!?"

I step forward, fully prepared to attack depending on his answer.

"Geez, you're stubborn… we aren't getting anywhere this way." He sighs. "If it can't be helped, let's just say I am your Servant. In that case, would you be my Master? Just hypothetically."

My eyebrow twitches. "O-Of course…! If you're my Servant summoned by me, who else but me would be your…!?"

I somehow manage to cool my boiling head, but I still glare at this guy.

"Oh, in that case, let's suppose that's true. Then, where's the proof that you are my Master?"

He's talking nonsense and grinning at me. Does he think I'll panic about this "proof" of being a Master thing? I raise my right hand.

"Here. This is proof enough, right?"

"Hm?"

I show him the Command Spell on the back of my right hand. Don't think I don't know anything, my father talked a lot about Masters, so I know about the Command Spell.

"Satisfied? Or are you still going to complain?" I say, thrusting the proof in front of him.

He looks confused, then…

"Are you serious, young lady?" He says with a face filled with discontent.

Wha…

"What do you mean, am I serious?"

He sighs and glances at me with one eye shut. "I mean, that way of thinking… so you're a Master if you have a Command Spell? A Command Spell is but a tool that governs the Servant. Geez… you would act like a Master just because of that?"

Wha…!?

"What I wanted to see was whether you were worthy for me to pledge my loyalty to." He states as-matter-of-factly.

"Ah… uh…"

T-That's true, but… you'd normally think of the Command Spell when talking about the proof of one being a Master, right!?

"So, what? I'm not fit to be a Master then?" I say as my fists start the clench.

"I wish I could say that, but unfortunately no. Since you have the Command Spells, it seems you are my summoner, as unbelievable as it is. It seems that you really are my Master." He sighs.

Another exaggerated shrug of his shoulders, and my head starts to boil again.

As if to make it worse, another piece of the roof falls to the ground next to me.

It does.

"I'm not happy, but I suppose I've little choice but to accept it." He sighs, "You're my Master for now, but I have conditions as well. From now on, I will ignore your opinions. I will decide how I fight, and you will follow my plans. That, young lady, is the most I will compromise on."

…

Another piece of the roof falls.

I think this is it, Father. I'm at my limit.

"I see… you accept unhappily, but what do you mean about ignoring my opinions…? You're my Servant, right…?"

My voice is trembling, likely from the rage building up inside me.

There's the issue of the Command Spell too, so this is quite literally my final warning, and the biggest compromise that I can make.

And to that…

"Yes, but in name only. So, formally I will obey you, but I'm the one doing the fighting. You can hide in the basement here and stay there until the Holy Grail War ends. That way, even one as inexperienced as yourself can make it out alive."

He bluntly tells me that with eyes full of disdain.

"…!"

"Hm, are you angry? I assure you, I will respect your position, of course. I am called to help my Master win, after all." He says with an almost-mocking tone. "My victory is your victory, and anything I earn in this fight shall be yours. I trust there are no complaints?"

"I…"

Then, the final nail in the coffin.

"You wouldn't be able to use the Command Spell anyway. Well, you can leave the rest to me. You just worry about your own safe…ty…!?

" **NOW I'M MAD!"** I scream at the top of my lungs. " **FINE, If you say that, I'll use it!"**

He's sitting up now, his eyes wide.

"Anfang…!"

There's no holding back now. I've got no sympathy left in me.

"Wha…! Are you serious…!? You wouldn't…!"

I can't control myself now. "I would! _Vertrag…! Ein neuer Nagel. Ein neues Gesetz. Ein neues Verbrechen…!"_

"You idiot…! Wait, are you insane, Master!? Who uses a Command Spell for something like this…!"

"Shut up! You're my Servant! So you have to obey every single one of my orders, got it!?"

His eyes widened even further. "W-What…!?"

The symbol on my right hand throbs as the three command spells glow. The essence of this war, and the three claims to the Servant's unconditional obedience… one of them has now been used.

"A-Are you serious…!? Using the Command Spell for such a broad…!"

Huh, too late now. First off, I wasn't exactly expecting this either. Honestly? I hate myself so much right now I could die. These things are important, so to use one for something like this…

* * *

And so.

Leaving the ruined living room behind, we move to my room. In front of me, the Servant who should be "absolutely obedient" from my Command Spell. He's definitely here, but…

"I see… I understand your personality now, Master."

It feels like nothing has changed.

"You do realize how important the Command Spells are, right?" He asks, his hand on his hip.

"I-I know. It's the right to give your Servant three orders, right? What about it…?" I ask, trying to hide my face.

He lets out a sigh. "Geez. Look, the Command Spell forces the Servant to act according to an order. It doesn't just stop their actions, it strengthens them as well. For example, I can't instantly teleport to somewhere far away, but if you command me to 'go' using your Command Spell, then assuming we have enough mana, it becomes possible."

I listen intently, but I'm clutching a pillow to my chest and burying my face in it.

"This is what is meant by unconditional obedience. It is the three crystallizations of a great magic that allows a Servant to surpass limits on their ability even they can't control. Well, you only have two now."

"I-I know that. It's fine though! We still have two, and the order I gave you isn't useless, either!" I exclaim.

"Man… I really miscalculated, didn't I…?" He mutters to himself. "I really did push a little too far. The Command Spell works rather poorly on broad orders. For a broad and long-lasting order, such as "protect me through this' or 'win this battle', the power of the Command Spell weakens. The force will last a long time, but since the associated pain is weak, most Servants will be able to disobey."

I bury my face into the pillow further.

"In contrast, a single, simple order like 'deliver the next blow with all your power', or 'don't break that glass' is absolute, and even the most powerful Servants will find themselves hard-pressed to disobey." He says as-matter-of-factly. "So, I think you can guess what I'm going to say next, Master."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it… you're saying that a broad, long-lasting order is meaningless, right?"

If the effect is weak, Servants can act against it. It's better to just give a single, absolute order, than to give a large but weak one.

"Exactly. Stupidly using it for orders that can be achieved by other means is unforgivable." He states. "You just used a Command Spell exactly like that. Whether or not I'll obey you is something we could have solved through discussion, and even with the command, something like "obey every order completely" is beyond even a hundred Command Spells."

"So the Command I just used was meaningless…" I sigh.

"Normally, yes. However it seems that your abilities as a mage are on a completely different level."

He says something that surprises me. Is he happy or unhappy? He has a smile on his face as he sighs.

"Then… you mean… hey, tell me honestly what your condition is right now."

I've got a gut feeling, so I ask as boldly as possible.

"Yes, that's what I meant by miscalculation. The order you gave me should have only changed my attitude to 'well, I'll respect my Master's opinions slightly'. But I feel a strong bind to your words. If I disagree… well, it seems like I drop a rank."

I raise my head a bit.

"In other words, it's like my body feels heavy if I go against your will."

He shrugs his shoulders as if to say it's a pain.

So… that means that the command spell wasn't meaningless, and it worked in my favor? He's speaking sarcastically as always, and it doesn't seem like he's any weaker at all. Though, even if he's weakened when going against me, I doubt even ten of me could take him on.

He straightens up and looks at me. "I'll take back what I said before, Master. You may be young, but you are an outstanding mage. I was mistaken to patronize you and attempt to keep you out of the battle. I apologize for my rudeness."

He even bows his head politely.

Crap. If he does that, I'll end up feeling embarrassed.

"H-Hey, stop it. We argued a lot, but they say both sides are usually at fault in this kind of thing…"

His usual grin returns. "I see. I'm glad you understand."

"You changed your tune quickly…"

His grin seems wider. "Well, it was a miscalculation, but not an unwelcome one. If you're this talented, I have no objections to your involvement in the battle."

Huh…?

He seems to be saying he's found a powerful Master, so…

"So you accept me as Master even without the Command Spell?" I ask.

"Of course. I wasn't clear back then as I was just summoned, but we are completely connected now. If you're really a mage, you should feel that connection from the contract."

Now that he mentions it, my body does feel rather strange. It feels like my nerves, once closed inside me, are now pointing outwards. Additionally, part of my mana is flowing into the man in front of me.

"I see. Servants are called by the Grail, but what keeps them here is…"

My own magical energy.

"Right, the power of the Master. Servants stay in this world by receiving magical energy from their Masters. The mana you provide is more than sufficient, and while there may be problems with your experience, your ability is outstanding."

Stop, the amount of flattery coming out of your mouth is unnerving.

"A normal mage would pass out after summoning a Servant, but here you are, full of energy. Judging from the Command Spell earlier, and the amount of magical energy… you're definitely a first class Master."

"H-Heh! Praising me now won't do you any good!" I say stubbornly.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit embarrassed, as I'm averting my gaze. I really wasn't expecting this. I may be forcing him to obey with a Command Spell, but for a Servant, a being far superior to humans, to honestly accept that I'm his Master…

"So? Which Servant are you?" I say, collecting myself.

"You can't tell just by looking at me, huh?"

…No, I was mistaken. This guy is certainly making fun of me, and nothing has changed.

"Alright, this is a question from your Master. You're not Saber, are you?"

He closes his eyes and leans against the wall. "Sorry, but I don't have a sword to call my own."

Hah… as I suspected. It's only natural, though. I mistook the time, the circle didn't work, and I even summoned the servant to the wrong place. Far too clumsy to call the strongest Servant, Saber.

"What a blunder… using that many jewels and not calling Saber…"

He almost seems insulted. "Hmph, well, I'm sorry for not being a Saber."

I'm a little surprised. "Huh? Uh, well, it was a big mistake and I regret it, but it's my fault, so…"

He cuts me off. "Yeah, Archer isn't too flashy, I know. Alright, I'll make you regret your abuse later on, and I won't be accepting any apologies when that time comes."

"Huh?"

This is unexpected… this unknown Servant seems disappointed by my fixation of Saber. Additionally… is he pouting a little?

I grin.

"What? Did I get on your nerves, Archer?"

"Yes, actually. Keep your eyes open, I'm definitely going to show you just how lucky you are."

He protests this with narrow eyes. The air around him feels offensive, but his behavior is childlike and pure.

…You know, he might be a pretty good guy after all.

"Alright, then be sure you make me regret it later on, Archer!" I say with a smile. "If you do, I promise to apologize."

"Yeah, and you better not forget it, Know just how great the one you summoned is, and be grateful." He says, the pout definitely still evident on his face. "Though, even if you do apologize then, I still won't be satisfied."

…Nevermind, maybe he does have a twisted personality after all.

"Well, leaving that aside, which Heroic Spirit are you?" I ask.

"…"

Archer doesn't answer. His sarcastic tone disappears, and he frowns rather seriously.

"Archer? Your Master is asking you a question."

"It's… a secret."

"Huh?" I tilt my head.

"I can't answer that question because…"

Hold on a moment!

"Hey, if it's for a stupid reason, I'm gonna get mad!" I exclaim.

He glances to the side. "It's…"

Oh, that face again… he must be really troubled as he opens his mouth like he'd rather remain silent. "It's because… I don't know myself."

Wait, what?

"What!? Are you making fun of me!?" I shout.

"I didn't mean to insult you, Master. But this must be because of the failed summoning. It seems my memory is confused, and while I know who I am, things like my name and origin are vague. Well, they're trivial things to be missing,s o we shouldn't worry about it."

"Don't… don't worry about it? Of course I'm worried! How am I supposed to know how strong you are if I don't know your identity!?" I exclaim loudly.

"Oh, that? There's no problem at all."

"No problem, you say? How can I make a plan when I don't know how strong my partner is!? There's no way we can fight like this!"

This is bad. I can't gauge my Servant's strength without knowing who they were in life.

"What are you saying? I am the servant you summoned. Naturally, I am the strongest." He says straightforwardly.

Pah, countless heroes have claimed that!

Still, the knight in black and green looks at me with absolute confidence and trust.

"Wha…"

My thoughts freeze because I detect no dishonesty in his words. He thinks more highly of my power than even I do, even though we've only just met.

Crap… I'm definitely blushing. Why do I have to be so weak against unexpected things?

"Well, fine… it'll make no difference that no one will know your true identity. They do say that to fool your enemies, you must first fool your allies…"

Those words were just to hide my embarrassment. I'll have to find out just how good he is later, but for now…

"Alright, I won't question you about your identity for now. In the meantime, I have your first task." I say as I walk over to the side of the room.

Archer grins. "Already? You _are_ aggressive. So, who am I targeting first—"

In the middle of his question, I grab a dustpan and broom from the corner and throw them at him.

Though he seemed surprised, he caught them with relative ease, and proceeded to give me a confused look.

"Clean the room downstairs. You made that mess, so you better clean it up." I say firmly.

He freezes.

Ten seconds pass. Ten seconds of him staring blankly at me. It almost feels like the world just went greyscale.

After recovering his thoughts, it looks like he's about to say something in objection.

"H-Hold on… just what do you think a Servant is?" He says, a look of disbelief spreading across his face.

I give him the most innocent look I can muster. "A familiar, right? He's a bit insolent, so he's difficult to control."

The look on his face is priceless. The sheer level of disbelief is about to make me laugh, but I manage to keep myself composed.

Archer swallows his words, as he can clearly tell that I don't intend to take back my words. On top of that, I _do_ have a trump card.

"Objection. I refuse such a dumb ord—"

"Really? This is an order as a Master. Doesn't your body feel heavy when you go against my wishes?" I say, trying my best to keep my smug grin off of my face.

"…"

Answering his silence. "Well, I'm sure it's nothing to you, but the penalty would continue until you clean up the living room. Won't it be dangerous to fight in such a condition from tomorrow?"

He lets out an exasperated groan. It actually lasts for a few seconds as he clenches the broom in one hand.

The Servant in the black and green coat, Archer, closes his eyes in dismay. "Understood. Damn you, Master."

…and acknowledges my request gracefully.

Well, it's getting late, so I should rest for tonight. I can decide about how to treat him after I wake up.

…The day of fate comes to a close. No, this night is the start of fate. There are six including myself now. Once the last one summons a Servant, the seventh one who is not yet a Master, this Holy Grail War will officially commence.

The battle I've waited for ten years to come…

* * *

**2/1**

* * *

The Holy Grail War. A great ritual, which has been practiced for hundreds of years. If one enters, one must eliminate the other six, as it is a battle for one's life.

Though, the origin of the Holy Grail is unknown. It's certain that it never received the blood of God, but its power matches that of the one in the legend.

Yes. It is said that the Holy Grail can grant any wish. Only one has the right to possess it.

It can only grant one wish for one person.

But seven magi are needed to summon the Holy Grail in this land. One miracle, seven collaborators.

It was only a matter of time before a fight broke out over the Holy Grail.

This is the ritual called the Holy Grail War, a competition between magi for the Holy Grail. The magi chosen by the grail are called Masters, and each Master receives a powerful familiar called a Servant by the grace of the Holy Grail.

There are two proofs that one is a Master: Summoning a Servant and making it obey, and obtaining the three Command Spells that order the Servant.

The first goes without saying. Yesterday… no, a few hours ago to be exact… I summoned Archer as my Servant. That leaves only the second. I must protect to the end this Command Spell that binds the Servant.

Well, that's the gist of it. The War will start when the seven Servants are all summoned. I can't just sleep in.

I don't know when the final Master will appear, but it should be soon…

* * *

"Mm… morning already…?"

I'm tired.

Unbelievably tired.

The sun is already way up when I look out the window in my daze.

"It's past nine… I don't think it's a question of being late anymore…" I sigh, glancing at the clock and confirming to myself that I'm skipping school today.

My body feels heavy. It feels like he's taken over half my body.

I sit up in bed, taking a deep breath. It's not just because I'm not a morning person that I'm tired. I summoned a Servant, and a Master who has just summoned their Servant cannot function as well as usual.

Oh, right.

"I summoned Archer, not Saber…"

I remember it clearly, though I don't want to remember. Even if I don't like it, though, there's no second chance.

"About a day until my mana returns, huh? Then I guess today will just be a test drive."

I manage to climb out of bed. Fighting against the unseasonably warm air and my desire to stay wrapped up in my blanket, I force myself to my feet.

I check myself in the mirror. Nothing is obviously wrong, except that I only have about half the usual magical energy in my body, everything's up to par.

"Well, there shouldn't be any problems… right?"

The Servant I summoned is Archer. A rude guy with no manners to spare for his summoner and Master. On top of that, a lousy case of amnesia, so we've got no clue who he is.

I can feel the headache settling in.

In this case, his Noble Phantasm is definitely off the table. There's no way he can use it if he doesn't remember it, so we'll have to live without it.

Servants are powerful on their own, but what makes them special is that they all have at least one "Ultimate Move".

…Except Archer can't remember what his is.

Though, it's partly my own fault, so we'll have to make do. I can only hope he can sort his memories soon…

* * *

Wow.

Maybe I should have a better opinion of this guy.

The living room is just the way it was. It looks like it was never destroyed in the first place, and for a second, I wonder if my Servant is actually a carpenter. Honestly, considering his lousy attitude about it, I only expected him to clear up the rubble.

It's moving that he went this far. He must have felt bad, right? Otherwise he wouldn't have done this. He's either admirable, or maybe just a nice guy.

"The sun's already up. You're pretty loose."

"…"

I take it back. This shameless attitude… he doesn't deserve any praise at all.

…This kind of thought process might end up happening a lot.

"Morning. You seem pretty relaxed, and I see you've made yourself at home." I sigh.

"Well, it's the room I spent the night in. I've figured out where pretty much everything is, and since I was cleaning anyway, I did the kitchen as well. I honestly expected it to be a little messier, but it's rather clean. Impressive when you consider that you live in a Western-style house by yourself." He says, looking proud of himself.

Meanwhile, I'm getting a headache. I don't need my Servant to check up on my cleanliness. Aren't Servants only supposed to think about battles? Is my Servant broken?

"Well, despite how well you seemed last night, sleep must've brought up your fatigue. How does tea sound?" Archer says calmly.

So at home in a stranger's house. Archer stands, takes out a new teacup without a moment of confusion, and in a single instant, a fine rose-colored tea is placed in front of me.

I want to say some things, but for some reason, I don't feel like interrupting him. Every aspect of his motion is refined, and you could even say he's being considerate.

"Well, I am tired… I guess I'll have a drink." I say, picking up the cup he poured for me, and taking a sip.

...oh wow this stuff is good.

Well, it's an exotic Chinese tea, and the best part of my favorite leaf, so I'd be mad if it didn't taste good.

Actually, I get mad when someone uses one of my favorites without permission. So I should be mad right now… but it's brewed so wonderfully that I can't really complain.

Then, I hear Archer laughing silently to himself.

"Hey, what are you laughing about…?" I ask him with a look of suspicion.

"Well, I was going to ask how you thought of my work, but when you make a face like that… I suppose there's no point in asking."

Ah, am I smiling?

"…!"

I slam the cup down onto the table, my cheeks a little red.

Archer stops laughing. "Don't waste it. You should enjoy it while it's hot, after all. I'll go if I'm distracting you."

I try to recompose myself. "Thanks but no thanks. I didn't become a Master just so someone could brew me tea… besides, there's no need for you to do things without orders."

Archer puts a hand up to his chin. "I see. Certainly, I did not form a contract to brew tea or clean up, so if that's how you want it, I'll be careful from now on."

"Right. What I need is a powerful familiar. I've never heard of a Servant who does things around the house, and I've no need of one either…"

Archer raises an eyebrow. "Hm? What do you mean, no need?"

"Nothing. Interpret it however you want. More importantly, do you remember who you are now?"

Archer shakes his head, and I let out a sigh.

Just as I thought, it's bad. If it doesn't come back after one night, it won't come back easily. Even if we test various things today, this is still…

"Alright, I'll work out what to do about your memory." I sigh, "Well, get ready, Archer. Since you were just summoned, you don't know your way around yet, right? I'll show you around town."

"Get ready? No need. If you want to go, we can go right now."

I shoot him a look. "Hey, you're going to walk around in that? It's hardly normal, and besides, other Masters would be able to tell you're a Servant right away."

I don't intend to go and announce to everyone that I'm a Master, after all.

"Oh, so that's what you meant." Archer sighs. "It's not a problem. I'll only need to change when I take form, but Servants are spirits, after all. We become spirits when not in battle to reduce the burden on our Masters."

Oh, right.

"Oh yeah. You are still a heroic spirit even if you're summoned already. Since it's the Master's magical energy that gives the spirit form, if I cut off that energy…"

"Naturally, we would return to spirit form." He cuts me off. "A servant in that state is like a guardian spirit. We can't be observed by anyone but our Master we're connected to by the leyline. Though we can still talk, so it's no problem for scouting."

"Wow, how convenient…" I muse, taking another sip of the tea. In that case, searching for other Masters will likely be rather hard…

"Yes, but mages can sense other mages, right? In the same way, Servants can sense other Servants. We should be able to sense Servants even from a distance if that Servant knows powerful magic." He explains.

"Hm… so, what about you? Can you sense where the other Servants are?" I ask.

Archer sighs. "Master, remember my class? Sensing different enemies isn't a job for a knight."

Yeah, probably not…

Archer's mana isn't that strong. I suspect that only the Caster servant would have enough mana to locate enemies from a distance.

"Alright, then follow me, Archer. I'll show you the world you've been summoned into." I say, getting up from my seat.

"Hm… but, Master, aren't you forgetting something important?" Archer asks.

I tilt my head in confusion. "Hm? What do you mean?"

"Geez. You're really not up to par yet. We've yet to exchange the most important part of our contract." He says as-matter-of-factly.

The most important exchange…? As far as I can tell, there shouldn't be any more exchanges necessary…

"Wow… you really _aren't_ a morning person, are you?" He sighs.

Actually, listening to that sarcastic comment… I realize that he hasn't called me by my name yet.

"Ah, crap… names."

Archer chuckles. "Finally realized it, have you? Well it's not too late. So, what's your name, Master? How do you want me to address you?"

…Dammit. He's a good person. There's no mistake, since after all, there's no meaning to exchanging names. Servant and Master have a relationship forced upon them by the Command Spell. With a normal familiar contract, the exchange of names means a lot, but no such bond is needed between Master and Servant.

But still, Archer calls it important. That's proof of trust that we shall be fighting together, even without the command spell.

"I'm Yuzu Hiiragi. You can call me whatever you like." I answer bluntly, unable to be true to my feelings. It'd probably be easier if he addressed me in a reserved manner like "you" or "Master", and that's probably what he'll do.

But…

Archer mutters my name to himself.

"Hm… I think I'll call you Yuzu. Yes, the name suits you well, and it's easy on the tongue." He says outrageously.

My jaw must have dropped, because he's staring at me with a strange expression.

"Yuzu? What's wrong? You don't look normal."

"S-Shut up! Let's just go! W-We don't have time to relax…!"

I turn away and immediately start walking. I'm vexed… is he doing this on purpose?

"It's possible… he'd certainly do that sort of thing…"

Yeah, that must be it. My reaction is all part of his plan, so I'll have to be careful. I'm stuck working with this crooked guy from now on.

* * *

We reach the middle of Shinto, the rapidly-developing town with tall buildings as if rushed by something. It looks artificial as a result.

From what I've heard, the big fire ten years ago pretty much decimated the whole residential district, so these buildings were constructed on the land no one lived on anymore.

And… this is the center of it.

A massive, desolate park at the center of it all.

"This is Shinto's park. Now that we've seen all the important locations, what are your thoughts?" I ask Archer, who is standing next to me. I can't see him, of course.

"It's a big park. But is there some reason there's no one here?" He asks.

"So it shows, huh? Well, that's because there's a history to this place." I say nonchalantly.

I look around the park. A park this big and organized should be a playground for kids, even on weekdays. Yet this place is practically barren. Only a few people here and a desolate feeling running through the place.

It was about ten years ago. There was a huge fire in this area. It burned for a day until it went out just as it began to rain. AFterwards, the town was rebuilt, but this place was left as it was. It was completely burnt to ashes, so they made it into a park.

I explain this to Archer, and he says nothing. But even though I can't see him, I can tell he's feeling something special.

"You've noticed, huh? That's right, this is where the last Grail War ended. I don't know the details, but this place has been like this ever since the last war ended here."

"I see. That must be why this place is full of so many grudges." Archer muses.

My eyes widen in wonder. "Hmm. You can sense those kinds of things?" I ask.

"Servants are spirits. We're similar to grudges and formed obsessions, so therefore, we are sensitive to such 'remnants' like us. There were places in town with strong regrets, but this place is on a completely different level." He explains. "To us, this place is more akin to a Reality Marble."

That's… an unusual term.

Reality Marbles… one of the magics considered the pinnacle of magi, said to be infinitely close to sorcery. For hundreds of years, a "boundary field" has been the defensive field that protects a mage. But simply, it's like a vicious version of a house security system.

A boundary field is something applied to an existing area or building to protect oneself. However, that is just a transformation applied to what already exists.

A Reality Marble is different. It's an image that erodes reality.. THe imagined world of a mage… a boundary field that paints over reality. That is what we call a Reality Marble.

In other words, a large-ranged magic that distorts, no, remakes the world as the mage wishes.

"Oi, Yuzu, what are you thinking?" Archer addresses me casually.

"Eh? No, I was just surprised." I answer. "It's just… I thought that 'Reality Marble' would be an uncommon term for an Archer."

I can't see it but I can tell he's grinning. "What, is it strange for me to know?"

"Of course! Reality Marbles are the taboo of taboos, the secret principle's secret principle. It's kind of strange that an Archer knows about it."

My expression asks "Isn't that right". Then, I sense him sighing heavily next to me. "Yuzu, a hero is someone who excels with both magic and weaponry. It's fine if you want to think that an Archer can only use bows, but please don't take such an optimistic view of the other Servants."

Ugh.

Come to think of it, he's right. "I-I understand. That was a careless thing to say. I'll be careful from now on, so it's okay, right?"

"…Yuzu, I'm gonna be fully honest with you. You're an excellent mage, but because of that, you have a habit of underestimating others. I suggest you ditch that habit before you grow up."

"Y-You're being rather rude—ouch!?"

My right arm suddenly hurts.

"Yuzu?"

"Be quiet for a second, Archer…" I hush him. The Command Spell engraved on my right hand is hurting. A small warning, as if to get my attention.

"Someone's watching us."

"Hm." Archer replies.

…I extend my consciousness to the surroundings. I roll out the threads of my consciousness and search through the park.

"…I can't find him. What about you, Archer?"

"It's difficult. I can't even feel the stare." He replies.

"Then it must be a Master…"

I don't know who it is, but if Archer can't sense it, it has to be a Master. Though there aren't seven of us yet, we can start the fight at any time. It seems like the one watching us wants to fight, but…

"…The Command Spell reacts to other Command Spells. That means that if you're a Master, you should be able to recognize other Masters when you see them. Shouldn't you be able to identify the other Master?" He asks.

"Yes. But a superior mage can conceal their mana. Though the Command Spells react to each other, they still operate on mana, so if the Master closed his magic circuit, it won't be easy." I answer.

Archer clicks his tongue. "That's troubling. That means we are showing them our location."

I sigh. "Well, if I search around my house I should be able to find something that'll kill my magical energy, but…"

"You don't need it?" Archer asks.

I smile, answering Archer's question.

If I don't hide my mana, they'll come to us, won't they? Saves us the trouble of going to find them.

I hear Archer take a deep breath and go quiet, as if shocked.

But I can still tell that he's grinning, probably amused. "What? You want to say I shouldn't be overconfident?"

I asked that question remembering his earlier comment.

"That's impossible." He says to my surprise, not even hiding his amused tone. "You're at your strongest like this. Yeah, you can just let those weaklings follow us around."

I can tell he's trying to hold back his laughter.

* * *

I may not like his response, but we continue walking around town. We tour the important places, really dragging our observer around, have dinner along the way, and finally bring things to a conclusion.

We've been walking a lot, and now it's seven. At this time of night, our destination should give us the best view possible.

The tallest building in Shinto. Up here, I can feel the strong wind blowing against my face and causing my hair to fly about behind me. The view from the rooftop of this building is a fitting end to this day.

"What do you think of the view, Archer?" I ask.

I hear an exasperated sigh. "I pity whoever you go out with someday. You dragged me here, there, and everywhere all day."

"Hm? Did you say something, Archer?"

"Just an honest opinion. …Oh, this is certainly a nice place. If we had come here to begin with, we wouldn't have had to walk around like we have been."

I raise my brow. "What are you talking about? It's certainly a nice view, but all you can tell from here is the overview of the town."

"That's not true. My class isn't Archer for nothing." He says confidently. "You can't be an archer unless you have good eyesight."

"Is that so? So can you see my house from here, Archer?"

"No, I can't see the neighboring town from here. At most, I can see as far as the bridge. At that range, I can count the number of tiles." He explained.

My eyes widen. "No way, the tiles on the bridge…!?"

I ask to confirm, because that just sounds ridiculous. If what he's saying is true, his eyesight isn't just good. His eyesight could match the telescopes you find on these rooftops.

I hear a hum of affirmation, and I let out a whistle. "I'm surprised. I guess you really are an Archer."

"…Yuzu. Are you by any chance making fun of me?"

"Of course not. I just misunderstood because even though you're called Archer, you sure don't seem like one." I said nonchalantly.

I can tell he's frowning. "That's rather troubling… I'm gonna have to question you a little more about this when we get home."

It seems he's taken a liking to the view as he falls silent. I think he's working out the town's layout, and in which case, I better not interrupt.

All I can see with my eyesight is the lights below this building. Like the headlights of cards in the street, and people going home from work. Though I can't tell what kinds of cars or what kinds of people they are.

I can see them, but not really.

"At the very least, there's one person that has his base in Shinto." I say out loud.

I strain my eyes and stare below me.

There are seven Masters in all. I still don't know who the Masters are, nor which Servants they command. Heck, I don't even know which Servant I command.

I can probably assume that all the Masters are walking around town collecting information on other Masters.

"…?"

Suddenly, I feel someone's eyes on me. There's no reaction from my Command Spell, though.

I just feel someone's eyes on me.

"From below…?"

I look down. There are many people walking around on the road, and among them is a person. One person looking up at me as if looking up at the moon.

…

I can't tell for sure who it is.

I can't tell for sure, but I still know who it is.

It's… surprising. What's he doing at this kind of time?

"Yuzu. Have you found an enemy?" Archer asks me, as if sensing my excitement.

"Nothing. I just saw someone I knew. Just an ordinary person with nothing to do with us." I reply firmly.

I'm unfortunately unable to hide my irritation, and leave the place where I was standing. It's impossible for him to have seen me from the ground, so he must have been looking up at the building by coincidence.

So it doesn't mean I was noticed.

…But still. I'm angry that I let him see me acting as a mage.

* * *

On our way back home, we climb the road up the gentle hill.

And… there's someone walking in front of us.

"Huh? Ruri…?"

This is bad. I don't want to see her right now.

I suddenly find myself hiding.

"Yuzu? Why are we hiding?" Archer asks, confused.

"Shut up!" I hissed, "Oh, that person is someone I know. I skipped school today, so I don't want to see her."

As I speak, I look at the figure ahead of us.

On the road…

There's the well-known first year student, Ruri, and a foreigner I don't know.

They're talking about something… no, it seems the foreigner is talking to Ruri against her wishes. "Yuzu, is the person you know the foreigner?" Archer asks.

"No, I don't know him. There are lots of Western-style houses around here, so he might be visiting one of them."

I say that much, then scold myself for being too soft where that girl is involved.

"Archer, is he human?"

"I don't know. He has form, so he should be human. At the very least, he is not a Servant."

I unconsciously let out a small sigh of relief. "Right. He's not a Master either, so I guess it's just a minor quarrel."

Still… I know she's not the kind of girl to get in trouble with a guy…

"They're going. The girl is walking up the hill. The man is…" Archer informs me.

…

The blond guy goes down the road we came up, moving past us as we hide and continuing down the path.

* * *

"Well then, you can use this place. I'm gonna go to bed… unless you have any questions first." I sigh as we get home.

Archer rematerializes in front of me. "Nope, no important questions. You made the right decision, not rushing into a battle. Tonight, you should focus on recovering mana."

"I'll see you tomorrow then. Please make me some tea tomorrow morning, okay?"

The instant I walk into my room, the fatigue hits me like a truck.

Oh, right, I should contact Leo before I go to bed. That annoying priest must be getting ready to call in the substitute mage already.

I could honestly care less about that, but he is my legal guardian, so I should at least do the right thing.

"Phone, phone…"

I dial the number, and the fake priest picks it up.

"Leo? It's me. I formed a contract with a Servant yesterday, so register me as a Master."

"…"

A brief silence. Leo's silence, however, has enough pressure to stress you out even over the phone.

"…Understood. Now what? You should come and see me at least once. I have something to give you that I received from your parents. They said to give it to you only if you become a Master before you become an adult."

"Oh, you mean Father's will? I already deciphered it and got the item, so it's fine." I say, verbally waving him off. "I'll come and see you if I feel like it. Goodbye."

"Wait, Yuzu, If you are a Master now—"

I hang up, not hearing him out.

I'd rather do anything else besides listen to Leo's lecture while I'm tired, and it certainly won't help in recovering magical energy.

All that's left now, is to sleep.

* * *

**2/2**

* * *

So, after breakfast, I clearly explain my immediate plans.

"What? You're going to school?" Archer says in disbelief.

I raise an eyebrow. "Yes, do you have a problem with that?"

"No… it's just…"

Archer hesitates and looks off to the side, but he doesn't object. He must have realized yesterday that I don't take back my decisions. I can tell without him saying so. Archer is sarcastic, but he's got an honest side to him. So, it seems he won't complain about something he's accepted.

In other words, he's faithful in an awkward way. This is my conclusion after watching Archer for all of yesterday. Though, it's more accurate to call it an intuition than anything else.

"Yuzu. As you are a Master now, you must always be cautious of other Masters. School is a place where it's hard to remain prepared against sudden attacks."

I frown. "That's not true, and even though I'm a Master now, I don't intend to change my lifestyle. Besides, a battle between Masters should be outside of public view, so if we're at school where there are lots of people, surprise attacks shouldn't happen.

Archer sighs and shrugs. "Well, it's your life. I can only obey you… but I can still guard you in spirit form, right? You're not gonna make me stay here while you go out on your own, right?"

"Of course not." I say like it's obvious, which it is. "Not just at school, but I will want you by my side whenever I go outside. It's your role to protect me, so I'll be counting on you, okay?"

Archer lets out a sigh of relief. "Good… it's the duty of a knight to answer trust placed on us, so I'll do my best to meet your expectations."

His expression hardens. "But… hypothetically, what would you do if there were an enemy in that safe place?"

"What, are you suggesting there might be a Master at school?" I ask him.

"Yeah, it's hard for anyone who isn't a student or teacher to get inside, but if someone already there is a Master, then it's a different story."

Hm… I don't think so.

"I don't think that's possible. There's only one other family of mages in this town besides Hiiragi, and that family has declined, so they don't even have a Master."

"How do you know that?" Archer asks.

"Hey, it's only natural for me to have investigated another family of mages in the same town. He isn't a Master, and his successor definitely doesn't have the magical energy to become one, so frankly, we can ignore them."

"Hm… so there's another mage at your school, but they don't have enough magical energy to become a Master?" He asks.

I smile. "Exactly. So most Masters will probably be coming from elsewhere. I doubt such people would think of targeting the school, either."

"Well… for now, at least. But there are always exceptions, Yuzu. What if there's a mage at your school that you don't know about?" Archer points out.

Another impossible situation. "Like I said, there aren't any. Mages are sensitive to other mages, so if we were at the same school for a year, I'd better have been able to sense them no matter how well they hide it."

I'm fully confident in this fact. There are only two mages at our school, and one of them is me. The other has so little power that I don't think I can even call him a mage.

"Do you understand? Your caution is needless worrying, and in no way possible."

* * *

Wow. Hypotheticals really do happen…

"Well, it seems like I'm the winner of our earlier bet." Archer states smugly. We didn't actually bet anything, but Archer insisted that the unexpected can surely happen, while I stated with confidence that it was impossible. Either way, it seems I've lost, but I can't think about that now.

We joke around like that the second we pass through the school's main gate. Around us are students heading to classrooms, and it's almost time for homeroom.

However, we stand dumbfounded.

"This isn't just the air stagnating. Don't tell me a boundary field has been set up already…"

"It's not complete, but the preparation seems to have already started… if he's doing this so openly, he's either a real big shot, or a real idiot."

Archer says that in his usual tone, but this is a bad situation. I do agree with him on one point, though.

"Definitely a complete amateur. A boundary field that lets others notice the abnormality is third class at best. A first class field should be hidden until activated." I sigh.

Well, it doesn't matter if he's third class or first class.

For setting up such an indecent thing in my territory, I make a promise to myself to beat him mercilessly as I walk angrily through the schoolyard.

I won't mince words. I won't be satisfied until I properly punish the creator of this thing.

* * *

After the second period… I see a first year student walking unsteadily.

She's carrying a stack of papers, and it looks like she's about to fall over.

"I'll help, Ruri."

"Huh…? Ah, Hiiragi Senpai…"

I glance at the papers. "What, handouts? World history… that'll be my homeroom teacher. That Akaba, what's he thinking making a girl do this? Here, I'll take half."

"Oh… yes. Thank you, Senpai."

I wave her off. "It's fine. So, we're taking these to your classroom?"

"…No, we're taking them to Akaba-sensei. He said he's recalling them because there was a misspelling."

Geez, I wish I didn't understand that as much as I did. Akaba's really stubborn, as he's the guy who cancelled a whole test because there was a single misspelling in it.

I actually end up saying this out loud, and Ruri hears it. "Huh? You mean the school's exam?"

"Right. It was last year's midterm, and he came in while everyone was filling in their names and said in his usual tone that the midterm has a misspelling in it. He then said that because the question was incorrect, the midterm was to be cancelled and retaken at a later date. It was a surprise, but the students sure welcomed it, and the teachers still talk about it to this day." I explain.

Ruri giggles a bit. "That sounds about right. He doesn't think teachers should make any mistakes, after all."

He goes a bit too far, though. "You'll realize soon enough. Akaba is as stubborn as a rock, or perhaps a mountain…"

Ruri laughs a bit more. "Hiiragi-senpai, you must like Akaba-sensei. It's rare to hear you talk about someone like that."

I tilt my head. Is that so? I do think he should be more flexible, but… I suppose he's not bad this way.

In this school, we have a teacher liked by all students and a teacher feared by all students. The balance works so well because Akaba is a good disciplinarian. You could consider him the stick in the carrot-and-stick approach.

"Well, you'll get to see more of him once you reach second year. He teaches ethics too. More importantly, Ruri, is it alright if I ask you something?"

"Huh? What is it, Senpai?"

"It's about yesterday. Were you talking to a strange foreigner?"

My question seems to affect her in some way. "Oh… y-you were watching?"

"Just by chance. So, what was it? Do you know him?"

Ruri holds her arm nervously. "No… well, he was a strange person and he seemed to be lost. He asked me lots of things but I couldn't really understand him, so…"

Ah, so she ran.

"I see. Sorry, I was just a bit curious." I apologize.

"No, it's alright… Um, here is fine, I only have to hand these to him now." Ruri says as we reach the classroom.

"Okay. See you later then."

I pass the handouts back to Ruri. As I start to head back, I pause.

"Ruri, how are things?"

"Ah, yes… it's okay. I'm doing fine."

"…I see. Well, if Shinji does something again, tell me. He doesn't know when to stop, so it'll only get worse if you don't say anything." I say with a look of genuine concern.

"It's fine. You don't need to worry, Senpai. Nii-san has been kind recently."

…If she says that with a smile like that, there's really not much I can say. I bid her goodbye once more and I turn my back on the familiar junior.

* * *

This boundary field isn't targeted towards me. It's targeted at the place I'm in, this school. It's meant to attack all the students and teachers here, but it won't affect me. Since it isn't targeting me specifically, such an indirect mana intervention will have no effect on any mage with mana in their bodies.

A weak current flowing through the air would just be repelled by the strong current that is myself.

Therefore, this boundary field has a different intention, It's not to kill a Master, but to kill everyone in this school.

There's only one reason to do something like that.

I search the building as night falls, and emerge onto the rooftop in order to finish. It's dark outside, and when I check the time, it's eight o'clock now. School closes at six, so I'm way past curfew. The only people still here are me and Archer.

"So, this makes seven. This must be the origin." I say out loud.

An eight-stroke mark is openly drawn here on the rooftop. A purplish-red character visible only to mages is something even I have never seen before, engraved with something unknown.

…Damn, I can't handle this thing. Whoever set this thing up didn't really think too hard, but this field is bound with amazing skill. I can manage a temporary solution, but I still can't eliminate this thing. It'll reactivate just by having the user pour more mana into it after I drain it.

Archer is silent. He's actually been quiet ever since we came out here, so he probably realizes the power of this thing as well.

This field won't just drain strength. Once activated, it'll literally dissolve all the people within it.

Sure, some fields drain physical and mental strength, but this thing is on a completely different level. It's a soul-eater. A Bloodfort that will dissolve everyone inside and claim the souls that come out.

It's entirely possible that it's a Noble Phantasm, which would mean that the one who set this thing up might not even be a Master, but a Servant following the orders of their Master.

There's also the matter of why one would do with these souls…

"Archer. Are you Servants… this kind of creature?" I ask coldly.

"It's just as you expect. We're basically spirits, so our meals consist of souls and mental constituents. Though, I wouldn't complain about a regular meal." He explains. "Our basic abilities won't change much if we nourish ourselves, but we'll get a little tougher, since our mana will increase."

Yes…

To strengthen your Servant, you must attack people indiscriminately.

"So the mana from the Master isn't enough?" I ask, a cold tone in my voice.

"Oh, of course not. But it never hurts to have more. In war, if you lack strength, you make up for it with supplies, right?" He says casually. "It's a basic tactic for a Master to steal energy from the souls of people around them. This boundary field is actually quite efficient, in that regard."

…

I feel sick.

Archer says that if I want to win, I should kill people to steal their strength. How simple…

I already knew that, however.

I've chosen my path.

"That annoys me. Never mention that again, Archer." I say angrily, staring at the mark.

"I feel the same. I don't intend to drain mana from souls, I'm plenty powerful as is."

He sounds… happy, actually. Confident as usual, but happy.

Geez… he really is a good guy, isn't he?

"Well, let's erase this. It's only temporary, but it should hinder them in the long run…"

I approach with my left arm extended to the mark. The Magic Crest on my left arm is the "book of magic" passed down the Hiiragi family.

I switch on my senses. I push mana into the Crest, read the part that explains the elimination of boundary fields, and now all I have to do is activate it.

"Abzug. Bedienung Mittelstand."

I touch the surface with my left hand and let my mana flow out. This should at least wash the color off this mark—

"What, you're going to erase it? What a waste."

Suddenly, as if to stop the erasure of the boundary field, a voice I don't recognize echoes over.

"…!"

I stand up in an instant and turn around.

On top of the water tower, in the sky ten meters away, a guy in blue is looking down at me. Deep ultramarine that melts into the night. His grin is wild and a bestial smell carries on the wind. Blue spiky hair adorns his head, along with a few tufts of yellow that remind me of a banana.

I'd laugh at that last part, but this isn't the time to laugh.

The stare of the beast in front of me is a cool one. He looks at me like an old friend, even in this situation.

"Is this your doing?" I ask.

"Nah. Petty tricks are the magi's job. We only fight as we're commanded to. Isn't that right? My invisible friend?"

…!

Casual, yet filled with murderous intent. That is what this voice feels like.

On top of that, he can sense Archer. That means…!

"A Servant…!"

He grins. "That's right. Since you can tell, I can consider you as my enemy, right?"

…

My spine freezes. A normal, light tone of voice… yet it's so cold. Colder than anything I've ever heard, and scary enough to make me wanna vomit.

I don't know how I should move or what the best course is. But my reasoning is telling me to absolutely not fight this man right here…!

"Wow, that's pretty good. You seem like you don't know anything, but you've grasped the important bits." He says casually.

Looking around, I've realized that I'm boxed in by the fencing on this roof.

"Man, I messed up… I shouldn't have called out and let curiosity get the best of me." The man in blue sighs.

He raises his arm, and it happens in an instant. The arm that held nothing until now…

Now holds a green weapon, two meters long.

"Hah…!"

No time to think, I jumped to the side. I can't spare the time to consider that I can't jump full force while on a rooftop. I just know to jump with full force to the side, as if to smash the fence.

A whirlwind brushes past my hair, and I see a flash of green.

I barely made it. He rushed me in an eyeblink and mercilessly slashed the space I just occupied. "Hah, you've got some good legs, young lady…!"

This blue whirlwind of death pursues me. There's no escape, with fences to all my sides… no, I won't make it…!

"Es ist groß, es ist klein…!"

My response is fast. I run the magic crest on my left arm and assemble the magic in a single measure. My body lightens, and gravity is adjusted. My body becomes light as a feather, and I leap…

"Yuzu…!"

"I know, let me handle it…!"

I jump over the fence and fall from the rooftop.

The wind and pressure push against my body as I fall. Fifteen meters to the ground, 1.7 seconds until landing… No, that's too slow, he'll catch up…!

"Vox, gott es Atlas…! Archer, take care of the landing!"

A loud thud. "Hah…!"

I let Archer take the impact of the landing and run as soon as my feet hit the ground. I have to change the location, first and foremost. We need a place where we can move around freely, not like the small space of the rooftop.

A large field with no obstacles… something that plays to Archer's and my strengths…!

"Hah, hah…!"

In less than seven seconds, I've run from the rooftop to the schoolground. I'm moving so fast that normal people would only see a blur.

But even so…

"Man, those are really good legs. It'll be a waste to kill you here."

It's meaningless against a Servant.

"Archer…!"

I step back, and Archer immediately materializes in front of me.

A cloudy night. In Archer's hand is a showrsword that reflects the weak moonlight.

"…Wow." The man crooks his mouth. "That's good, that's the way to go. I don't mind people who are quick on the uptake."

A large whirlwind.

That's the weapon swung at me on the rooftop… the bright green lance that tried to mercilessly slaughter me…

"Servant… Lancer…" I mutter.

"Correct! And your Servant is… Saber? Maybe not, actually. Who the hell are you?"

His previous casual demeanor is all but gone. Archer remains perfectly silent in response to Lancer and his murderous intent.

There's a distance of about five meters between them. Lancer's weapon is about two meters, and for the man with the bestial smell, I feel like the remaining three meters are meaningless.

"Heh, you're not the type to engage in one-on-one combat, are you? Archer, then?"

Even to that sneering voice, Archer doesn't respond.

Confronting each other are two knights. One blue, and the other green. Both are watching for the other's clinching blow.

"Alright, I don't like it, but we've met now, so we've gotta fight. Take out your bow, Archer, I'll wait." Lancer says, holding his lance behind him.

Archer still doesn't respond. There's nothing to say to an enemy he must defeat. That steel back of his seems to declare it so.

Wait… I'm being stupid.

Archer is just waiting for my word, my command.

"Archer." I say to his back without approaching. "I won't help you, show me what you can do, here and now."

"Heh…"

Did he just laugh? He grins as if to answer my words, and suddenly, the green knight dashes forward.

_Clang!_

Twirling gusts of wind.

Shortsword in hand, the green bullet launches.

"You fool!" Lancer declares, meeting him with a spear-thrust. If the dashing Archer is raging wind, the responding spearhead is a divine wind.

The sword is swung, a swing to deflect the thrust. Archer parries the thrust of the high speed lance with his shortsword.

"…!"

The one in green stops. The enemy did not permit Archer's rush. He doesn't even let him get within two meters, the spear's range.

For a long weapon, distance is always preferred. Since Lancer has a weapon almost two meters long, he only needs to attack when the enemy comes into his range.

But even so. Lancer closes the distance himself and doesn't even allow Archer to move forward. "Idiot, a mere bowman challenging me to a close-range fight…!"

Metal clashes against metal.

His temper is like a burning fire. Lancer is closing in with every blow, and there's no thought of stopping in any of his movements. It should be suicidal to close in to an enemy with a long weapon, yet…

"No way…"

This Servant doesn't play by the book, though. His lance shows no vulnerabilities as it strikes for the throat, shoulders, forehead, and heart. Even the afterimages are blurred, that's how fast he is. As each strike of his lance repels, rebuffs, and pushes back Archer, any one of his thrusts could be called a final blow.

But Archer is still a Servant. No ordinary attack can be a final blow…!

"Ha…!"

Repelling the lance aimed at his forehead, Archer closes in with speed superior to Lancer's lance.

Based on its shape, one would think that the main attack of a lacne is a thrust, but the basic strength of a lance is in swings. This is because the wide swing using its long range does not allow the enemy to step back.

Partial retreat does not allow escape. Counterattack results in a slashed stomach. Moving forward will end up with a smashed rip from the long shaft.

Archer and Lancer are similarly built. On top of that, it's hard for Archer with no heavy armor to step into the range of a lance swung like a whirlwind. But, thrusts are a different story. A blazing fast thrust certain to kill you is scary, but as long as the attack targets a point, there are ways to avoid it once you see it.

As Archer did just then, hitting the shaft of the approaching lance to redirect it creates a slight opening.

He must be underestimating him because he's a bowman. The advantage of a long weapon is in the length and freedom of its range. Once Lancer has discarded these advantages himself, his defeat is…

"Huh…!?" The one in green stops. The thrusts now are faster than the previous ones…!

"Guh…!" Archer grunts, trying to parry the blow, only go get flicked away along with his weapon. There are no openings in Lancer's attack. No, not just that. His thrusts increase in speed and power without limit, and it becomes a final blow even for a Servant…!

We were the ones that underestimated him. For that Servant, there are no general rules about lances. Who could ever parry continuous attacks without even a space to breathe between them? Archer managed to retreat a bit and parry, and as a result, opened up a little distance between them.

Lancer uses that distance as a runway to launch an even more powerful attack.

The raging continuous attack is only a repetition of that, but the blows themselves are godlike.

Ten blows already… no, that's just what I've managed to perceive. I expect that it must actually be many times more than that.

What can Archer do, as he's now on the defensive…? With just a shortsword, he can only parry the lance. He has no way to close on Lancer, and can only retreat.

As the vacuum of steel unfolds, I try to move myself. Support… I have to back Archer up, but my throat won't respond. My magic has poor aim, so unless Archer can get away from Lancer, I'll end up hitting him with my magic as well.

Such an opening would only increase Lancer's advantage as well.

Besides… frankly, I'm captivated. This is a battle between Servants. This is the Holy Grail War, where we use heroic spirits, the highest rank of familiar, whom we would never be able to obtain otherwise.

…It's actually misleading to call them familiars. Familiars are usually just beings that ran errands for Mages. You could imagine a cat in boots if you like, or maybe even a cute little bird.

Familiars that a mere mage can summon are of that level, but heroic spirits are something else entirely. Familiars cannot be stronger than their Master, but as we can see here, Servants are different.

They are the most powerful beings, and I doubt I would last a second against any one of them.

Not only that, but even for Sorcerers, it would normally be impossible to contract with them. The summoning isn't really hard, and the Servant's strength doesn't matter either, but Servants themselves are above magic.

If it isn't clear yet, Servants are heroes from the past. Fiction or not, the "superhuman beings" who gained concrete existence in folklore are what we call heroes. A hero that becomes eternal in people's minds is no longer human after death, and is promoted to another form of existence.

It doesn't matter whether these people existed in reality or only in stories. It is people's minds that create a hero.

The ultimate ideal humans have created, the greatest human people have created. These are the heroes, the heroic spirits. Of course, since they are beyond human, they cannot be controlled by humans.

But the Holy Grail made that impossibility into reality. It summons the Heroic Spirit, beyond human control, and turns it into a familiar obedient to the Master. That nonsense… Does anyone need any more proof to know how powerful the Grail is?

Heroes from every age and country are revived into the present day, to kill one another for supremacy.

There are seven servants, and seven furnished classes for each of them.

Knight of the sword, Saber

Knight of the lance, Lancer

Knight of the bow, Archer

Mounted soldier, Rider

Mage, Caster

Silent killer, Assassin

Mad warrior, Berserker

The battle rages on.

"…!"

A loud crash, and I see Archer's shortsword fly from his hand as it deflects Lancer's attack.

"Idiot…"

There's no hesitation in Lancer. His movement to push Archer back stops, so he must intend to end this match now. In that instant, the lance is thrust like a flash of light. Not even I can see it.

Forehead, neck, and heart. Three shots are launched, and any of them could be fatal… but.

The flash, too fast for me to see, is repelled by a shining blade.

Lancer look surprised. "…!?"

Archer is holding a shortsword again. A sword similar to the one before, a Chinese sword like a hatchet. But… the biggest difference is…

"Tch… a dual-wielder, huh?" Lancer clicks his tongue.

A pair of swords. That is what Archer is wielding. Matched swords, mirror images of each other, rest in his hands.

"Heh, a bowman trying to be a swordsman, are you?" Lancer taunts as the battle begins again.

Moving to finish Archer off, Lancer lets fly a flurry of attacks, his lance moving faster and faster.

Archer defends with a burning spirit. His hawk-like eyes say that he will not retreat anymore. He will only advance from here on.

It's like a well orchestrated song, the clashing sounds. Two steels clang against each other violently, and the sparking clashes increase in rhythm without pause.

It's like a vacuum. Their battle sucks in the air around them, and it feels like anything approaching them would be cut to pieces.

It… only lasts for an instant. But for me, watching them, it feels like an infinitely-long time.

Archer advances with his swords being used like a shield. Lancer continues to try and push him back.

Over a hundred blows are thrown, and Archer loses a sword every time. Yet… in the next moment, Archer has another sword in his hand, and in the next instant, has forced Lancer back a little.

Lancer admits his carelessness. Even though he doesn't know who is before him, he knows he will be the loser if he dismisses this man as a mere bowman.

The distance suddenly widens. Likely to recover, Lancer puts a large distance between them. His speed is truly extraordinary. Even with Archer's incredible charge, compared to Lancer, it was slow.

"Twenty-seven… to think I've shattered your blades that many times, yet you still have more." Lancer clicks his tongue.

He's clearly irritated… no, it's more like confusion.

Not that I don't empathize. I'm just as confused. A Servant should, according to Father, only carry around one weapon. Two weapons is possible, but…

Despite the fact that the weapons of Servants are filled with mana, and therefore not something that can just be created one after another… that's exactly what Archer was doing.

They may be powerful familiars, but their most powerful and signature weapon is their Noble Phantasm, the proof of their heroism. It's usually a weapon or armor the Servant used in life, and it's treated as a last resort.

The one and only weapon for a Servant… the Noble Phantasm is an ultimate weapon.

Lancer's lance will show it's power as a Noble Phantasm when Lancer deems it necessary. While impressive by itself, it's true ability is to release all its power by using its "true name".

Noble Phantasms are never disposable, so while the swords that Archer is using must be excellent… they can't be his Noble Phantasm. He's the Archer Servant, so his concealed Noble Phantasm must be a bow.

"What's wrong, Lancer? Where's all your energy gone? It's not like you to just stand there and watch." Archer taunts.

"…Quit talking crap, you cheater." Lancer responds in irritation.

It's understandable. Lancer fought as a spearman, but Archer fended him off as a swordsman. This means that Archer still hasn't shown any of his abilities yet.

Lancer is right to feel ghastly.

"Alright, fine, I'll ask. What hero are you?" Lancer says bluntly. "I've never heard of a bowman using two swords."

Archer's usual grin appears. "Heh, you might not have my identity down… but I think I've got yours." He says confidently. "Only the fastest heroes are chosen as Lancers, but you surpass even that. There aren't even three lancers in this world at your level, and when you take that beast-like agility…"

"Oh? Well said, Archer." Lancer grins.

I forgot to breathe.

In that very instant, his vast murderous intent quite literally stopped me from breathing for a moment.

His arm moves. This is different from before, he now has a stance free from contempt. His spear is lowered as if to strike the ground… but his stare pierces Archer.

"In that case, you shall face my mightiest attack." Lancer declares.

Archer brandishes his two shortswords again. "I won't stop you. You're an enemy I'll have to defeat sooner or later."

Lancer's body sinks down, and at the same time… a chill like thorns fills the schoolyard.

The air freezes.

No, I don't mean it as a metaphor… the air literally froze. All of the mana in the air is frozen, and the only person allowed to breathe here is Lancer.

The lance in his hands is unmistakably demonic.

"Crap…!" I curse out loud.

He's going to die.

Archer is going to be beaten.

I may not know what kind of Noble Phantasm Lancer is using, but Archer is going to die.

This is the first time I've felt such an intuition, but there's no doubt about it. When that lance is thrust, Archer will die. That lance is the embodiment of inescapable death—

"Oh."

And yet even though I know what's going to happen, I can't even help him.

Because if I move… that will trigger the attack.

So… if anything can stop this battle and Archer's defeat, it would be—

"WHO'S THERE…!?"

I hear the sound of fast-moving footsteps.

It would be the chance appearance of a stranger we've all overlooked.

"Huh…?" I say as the ghastly air from Lancer vanishes.

The sound of fleeing footsteps… that figure was definitely wearing a school uniform. "A student…!? Someone was still here!?"

Archer lets out a sigh of relief. "Seems so. Saved our lives, though."

Archer says this calmly. Well, we were definitely saved, but…

"Damn… I didn't notice my surroundings because I was preoccupied with Lancer… hey, what are you doing?" I ask.

"Can't you see? I'm resting now that I'm free to do so." He answers casually.

"W-Wait! What about Lancer?" I exclaim.

"He went after that guy. He saw us, so he's probably following mage law and is going to eliminate him."

My thoughts stop for an instant.

"Follow him, Archer! I'll catch up…!"

Archer goes after Lancer immediately.

"Damn, how could I be so stupid…!" I curse at my own carelessness. It's the rule of magi to eliminate witnesses. I hated that rule, so I vowed to make sure there would be no witnesses. I've managed that until now… so why do I have to mess up today…!?

…

A night where even the moonlight is obscured… and a student lying on the cold hallway floor, and Archer standing still.

He stares at the student silently, and the smell hits my nose.

The blood on the floor makes it clear that it's the smell of death.

"Follow him, Archer. Lancer will probably go back to his Master. This won't be worth it unless we at least find out what his Master looks like…" I say calmly.

Archer silently vanishes and goes after Lancer, leaving me alone with the student on the floor.

"…"

I can't look straight at him. How could I? But I have to. This is my fault, after all.

This is my fault.

This is my fault.

Ever since I was a child, ever since I became the successor of Hiiragi… I've been preparing for something like this to happen.

Good and evil aren't a thing for mages. This road has only my blood and the blood of others, and I've told myself this…

"…One shot from Lancer's lance, huh? You can't be saved with your heart pierced like this…" I mumble.

How long has it been since Lancer killed him? Was it lucky or unlucky that he was pierced through the heart?

"But it's amazing he isn't dead yet…" I mutter.

Yes, he's still breathing faintly as if giving his last scream. Clinging desperately onto life, I can hear his ragged breaths if I listen closely.

But that won't last. His wounds won't heal on their own, and I don't have the power to save him either.

…I have to look at his face. I should at least do that much.

I try to touch the head, facing the ground, and realize that my fingertips are shaking.

I wonder why… I'm used to such things, and I've had to make these kinds of choices before.

Yet my fingers still tremble.

Why am… why am I so angry at myself…?

"Sorry… I'll at least see you off, at least." I mutter, moving to turn him over onto his back. Through sheer will, I control my trembling fingers and failing knees, and look at his face.

…

My gasp is audible.

A huge smacking sound as his body now lies on his back, and it feels like I've been hit on the head with a hammer.

I clutch my arms.

"Stop… why does it have to be you…?"

I grit my teeth, not to suppress my still-present trembling, but because of how pissed off I am.

Why?

Why him?

Why did you have to pick this day and this hour to be here?

I'm not mad at Lancer for killing a witness like this. He did it perfectly and quickly, like a Servant should do.

I'm just angry that he chose to stay late at this place on this day of all days…!

"…"

Ruri's face flashes in my mind. She'll certainly cry, won't she?

A red-tinted day after school, a long time ago, with a distant sunset… that memory is recalled in my mind.

Someone always running alone… and a boring girl staring from far away.

And now, the corpse of someone who happened to get involved is in front of me.

...There's a way.

I might fail and lose my last resort in the process but there is still a way. Well, I'll lose my last resort whether I fail or succeed, so for me at least, the result won't change.

…This is a mistake. The fact of his death is already determined, and it's my fault for not noticing the things around me.

It's also his fault for staying late, though that may just be his unluckiness.

I don't need to go this far. This is what my father, who gave me nothing else, left for me. A chunk of mana so powerful and reliable that it could win me through this battle. A precious, precious thing…

"So what, idiot…?"

I say those words to myself and shake the feeling off. I kneel in front of the one who is about to become a corpse, hold out my hand, and a bright red glow fills the area.

* * *

I've really done it now…

The pendant in my hand becomes lighter. The memento from my father is drained to emptiness, and now falls on what used to be a dying body.

Well, it can't be helped. I didn't have the power or skills to revive someone with a damaged heart, blood vessels, and on the verge of brain death on top of that. So I made up for my lack of skill with a powerful object.

"You're lucky you were still breathing. If you were completely dead, no amount of mana would have revived you…" I speak to the unconscious body, which is now breathing steadily.

I just did what I could since he was still alive, and I saved his life.

It'd have been awful if I failed… but since I actually pulled this off, it's alright. I actually feel kind of fulfilled, so this wasn't so bad.

…Is it too obvious that I'm bluffing?

"Let's go then… what's done is done, and I should head back before he wakes up."

There's no need for me to stay here any longer. Archer should be following Lancer, so I should head home myself.

On my way back home, I realized that I left the pendant at school. It's just a pendant now since the mana has been drained out of it, though.

Oh well. I've no more use for it anyways. It might have had a bit of mana left in it, but surely less than the ten jewels I have. Father had left me enough mana to win the Holy Grail War… but without the mana in that pendant, the thing is useless.

* * *

I'm on the sofa, lying on my back when Archer comes home.

"Welcome back, how did it go?"

He's frowning. "Sorry, I failed. His Master must be cautious , and at the very least, his Master isn't on this side of town."

As I expected. Lancer was alone and it seems his Master isn't the type to show up to the battles personally.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't be that easy…" I sigh.

"You seem down, Master. Where are your high spirits?" He asks. "Don't tell me that one fight scared you. If you order me to, I can go and fight lancer again right now."

He protests silently that we should do so.

…Huh, I guess I look depressed.

"Of course not, I'm staying in only because I'm not going to do anything pointless." I reply.

"Hm? Anything pointless…?"

I sit up. "Well, all the Masters aren't present yet, right? Tonight couldn't be helped, but I wouldn't start fighting before the signal." I explain.

"I see… so your old man was also a Master." Archer says with a nod.

Then… he makes a troubled face as if he's pondering something.

"What? Got something to say?" I ask.

"Yeah, something I forgot to ask." Archer answers. "Yuzu, you've been raised since you were small to be a Master and you've accepted that, right?"

"Of course." I reply. "There are certainly Masters that are suddenly appointed, but I'm different. For the Hiiragi family, the Grail has been our earnest desire for many generations."

"Thought so…" Archer sighs. "I forgot to ask about that. I can't swear my sword to you unless I know my Master's wish. So Yuzu, what is your wish?"

"Wish? I don't really have one." I reply nonchalantly.

His eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

Oh, that's actually quite the funny face he's making.

"T-That can't be true! The Grail is an almighty wish-granting device, and becoming a Master means obtaining it, so how can you say you have no wish to grant…!?"

Archer asks this with a serious expression.

Oh… I see now.

The Master's wish after obtaining the Grail isn't irrelevant to the Servant. But it's strange… I don't think Archer should be concerned because I don't have any wishes. Servants have wishes as well, but that is only their wish,

"Alright, if you don't have a specific wish, why not wish for something ambiguous? Like ruling the world?" Archer asks quickly.

"Why? The world is already mine." I reply casually.

Ah, he's making that funny face again.

"Hey now, Archer. The world is just another word for the things you value around you, right? That's something I've had since I was born." I explain. "If you tell me to rule such a world, I already rule it."

His silence is hilarious. He looks at me with a troubled expression.

I'm kind of amazed, actually. He's surprisingly hard-headed.

"Ridiculous… the Holy Grail is a power to grant wishes, a power to obtain the world. Yet you're telling me you're seeking it… with no wish?" He asks in amazement.

"But ruling the world would be troublesome, wouldn't it? There's no point in wishing for something so pointless." I say with a smile. "You seem to lack imagination, Archer."

"Then… why do you fight, if not for a wish?" He asks.

Oh, that's easy.

"I fight because there's a battle, Archer. And I'll take whatever I can get. I don't know about this Holy Grail thing, but I can just use it when I find something I want, right?" I explain. "As a human, there are infinite things I might want in life, you know?"

"So… you're telling me…"

"Yes. I'm fighting to win, Archer." I say with a smile.

He lets out a sigh and his shoulders slump. Maybe he's disappointed in my opinions, but he finally seems relaxed.

"I give up… you're certainly a worthy Master for me."

…I find it hard to deal with that kind of comment, so I wish he'd stop saying stuff like that. "Hah! A Servant has no right to choose their Master, but I'll ask for the heck of it. Why am I a worthy Master for you?"

"It goes without saying. You're unmistakably the strongest Master. No one would be a better Master to serve than you."

Urk…

"Oh, thanks… though it doesn't sound like flattery when you say it." I respond, looking away because of my embarrassment.

It's hard to deal with this Servant… he speaks frankly like this even though he's so cynical about everything. Though, well, I _am_ happy that he trusts me.

I trust Archer. Archer trusts me. A sense of solidarity like this can't be a bad thing, right?

"Well then, let's take a break. Even if the seventh Master is going to appear, it won't be right now—wait a minute, Yuzu. What happened to that jewelry of yours?" He asks suddenly.

I tilt my head. "My pendant…? Oh, I forgot it. It's drained of power so there's no use for it."

"That's true, but if you say so…"

His expression is complicated for some reason.

"Yes, it's a memento of my father, but it's not like it's my only way to remember him—"

He looks angry for some reason… actually no, frustrated would be more accurate. "Yeah, no. You don't have to be _that_ strong, Yuzu."

Saying this, Archer takes out the pendant I left at school.

"Oh… you went and picked it up?" I ask.

Archer looks away, as if embarrassed. "Don't forget it again. It only looks right on you, Yuzu."

"I see… thanks…" I say, accepting the pendant.

Should I be embarrassed or cool about this? I'm honestly not sure.

The pendant is as it was, drained completely of magical energy. It's just a useless gem now… though it's definitely expensive.

But, as Archer would put it, even if there's no power left in this pendant, it still has meaning as something my father specifically left for me.

…Perhaps I can just laugh off the fact that I sacrificed my trump card to save that guy.

"Hey, wait a second…"

A click in my head. I wasn't thinking straight back then because of my regret, but now that I'm calm, I missed something.

He saw us. It'll be dangerous unless his memory is adjusted. Lancer prioritized eliminating the witness over his battle with us… so his thinking probably aligns with his Master's.

…If a Master like that finds out that the guy Lancer killed didn't die…

"He wouldn't let him keep living…!"

I leap up from my sofa. It's been three hours since then, so I should still have some time…

Wishful thinking. At this point there's a good chance I might not make it… but after all I did to save him, I have to make it on time…!

I run through the night. I fortunately know where his house is, and with the help of Archer, I reach it faster than I could have ever hoped.

…What? No, I didn't look it up, it just so happens that an… acquaintance of mine goes there a lot. I've never actually been there myself.

"Honestly, this is just going to bring us more unwanted troubles you know." Archer sighs as we begin to reach our destination. He clearly has no interest in cooperating, as he was against saving the guy when he was dying, and against me going to help him now.

It's midnight…

Under the cloudy night sky, we reach the Japanese-styled house. There's no sight of anyone in this house on the edge of the residential district. There aren't many houses around it, and there's no one to come and help if something happens here.

My breath is white, clearly visible in the cold air.

…a wind starts to pick up. It must be quite strong, as the clouds start to drift fast.

The wind of Fuyuki is sending chills down my spine. The air around here is frozen, and I strain my ears in the cold atmosphere.

In the frozen feeling, I feel the small sense of an enemy. "He's here…! The Servant from before…!"

I bite my lip. I can feel his presence on the other side of this wall. Lancer is in the house already, and about to kill the same guy again, who's probably just come home without a clue as to what happened.

"I'll jump in and beat him. I'll worry about what comes next later…!"

Just as I'm about to command Archer to go in… a bright white light, like a fallen sun, comes from within the house.

The presence is eclipsed by another presence. The wave of power from the Servant Lancer is consumed by an even larger wave. The instantaneous explosion of ether gives the spiritual being a body, summoned to overpower Lancer.

No way…

I can only mutter those words, but it's true.

To prove it, Lancer jumps over the wall and leaps away as if fleeing this place.

"Hey… Archer… is this another one of your hypothetical scenarios?" I ask, still in shock.

"Hell if I know. But this makes seven, Yuzu. All the Masters are now present."

Archer's answer is calm in contrast to my own emotions.

My normal judgement just went out the window. If I still had it, I would've known just how obvious it would be that the next event would follow…

The wind picks up. Clouds cover the sky like an umbrella, the unlit suburbs are enclosed by darkness… and the Servant jumps over the wall, coming down like a demonic bird—

"—!"

Archer's already reacted, drawing his blades… but I couldn't react. That was my mistake.

It might have only been a second for me, but for that Servant, it was an opening that couldn't be ignored.

_Woosh…!_

A sword rushes for me…

"STOP, SABER!"

A bright red light flashes from behind the Servant, and she freezes, allowing Archer to retreat back to my side.

I hear Archer click his tongue, and I fall to my knees in amazement.

"Servant… Saber…"

Having just barely escaped death, I understand. With just one look, without proof…

This is the card I wanted. The one said to be the strongest of all Servants, the hero of the sword.

**END**

**Author's Note:**

> It should be obvious who’s who in this AU, so I’ll list the appearing characters of this chapter here.
> 
> Shirou Emiya = Yuya Sakaki
> 
> Saber = Serena
> 
> Rin Tohsaka = Yuzu Hiiragi
> 
> Archer = Zarc
> 
> Kotomine Kirei = Leo
> 
> Shinji = Shinji (I hate him so much he doesn’t get an Arc V character to switch with. I love them all too much to make any of them Shinji)
> 
> Sakura Matou = Ruri Kurosaki (Matou has been changed to Kurosaki)
> 
> Taiga = Grace Tyler
> 
> Issei = Yuto
> 
> Ayako Mitsuzuri = Masumi Kotsu
> 
> Lancer = Yugo
> 
> This story will follow the Unlimited Blade Works route of the Fate/Stay Night story, and I will be going off of what happens in the Visual Novel while also looking at the Ufotable adaptation occasionally.


End file.
